STEVE DAMISH: An epidemic of inaction led to overdose crisis

This epidemic, this spike in heroin deaths, this spreading sickness – despite what some might claim – is not new, not news, and shouldn't be surprising anyone, least of all the Department of Public Health, our governor, and the legislators that run this state.

Thursday provided a pivotal, rare moment of triumph in this region’s battle against a festering drug epidemic.

But it was just a moment.

When Gov. Deval Patrick announced that he was mandating several moves to counter this heroin-fueled scourge, many branded the day one of the best in this ongoing war.

But many also called it one of the worst, for it reminded them of the needless tragedies that have rocked this region for eight hellish years, and also spotlighted how futile and impotent the state’s response has been to this health crisis.

It continues to be.

There has been too much death, loss and mainlined misery to think anything else.

After all, this epidemic, this spike in heroin deaths, this spreading sickness – despite what some might claim – is not new, and not news. It shouldn’t be surprising anyone, least of all the Department of Public Health, our governor, and the legislators who run this state.

As far back as 2007, Boston University’s David Rosenbloom, one of the nation’s foremost experts on addiction, appeared before a crowd of grieving parents and eager professionals at a Brockton conference center and warned about the impending crisis.

Appearing in a forum prompted by our “Wasted Youth” series, he pulled no punches in addressing the Brockton gathering.

Death is looming, he said. A historic epidemic nears, and we must act – now, with vigor, in a unified, cross-cultural campaign. It would last for years and – without proper action – would probably reach several peaks. Brace yourselves.

After he spoke, several parents of deceased addicts stood and told their stories of suffering, then pleaded through tears for action.

A rapt room shivered.

Sitting with Rosenbloom were representatives from the state DPH, the state College of Pharmacy and Health Services, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Among the audience were legislators, health care workers, law enforcement officials, and many others of influence and power.

But afterward, not enough was accomplished. Soon, Rosenbloom’s warnings proved true. Seven years later, despite what the governor said last week, too much remains undone, unsaid, and unknown – which is unbelievable, considering the carnage.

For starters, what will the governor and the state do – right now – to discover and then stop the source of this lethal heroin? State officials told us recently the system of testing and tracking this killer drug is bogged down for weeks. That’s unacceptable when our children are dying.

Next, what is being done to remove this and other powerful drugs from our streets? While the governor’s plan bans the new potent Zohydro, a pure opiate akin to the horrific OxyContin, it doesn’t address heroin, which is cheaper and easier to find than most pharmaceuticals. Nor does it address the many drugs – like Zohydro – that have been circulating for years.

Page 2 of 2 - Also, what will be done to shut the revolving doors of our emergency rooms? Addicts and experts know – it’s not the first overdose that kills you. Yet, after someone of legal age is revived with the anti-overdose nalaxone in an ER, medical privacy laws prohibit treatment or notification of his family unless the patient allows it.

At that point, all the patient wants is more heroin, his body having been thrust into withdrawal from the treatment. Too many have been saved, only to be discharged and dead a day later.

But perhaps the most pressing question centers around how law enforcement handles and investigates a fatal overdose. A fatal car crash prompts multiple investigations by police.

When will an overdose death draw such attention?

Countless families in mourning have told us they never heard from officials after the initial emergency call – that no one tried to study the event, or track the drug. Sadly, a needle in a lifeless arm signals a victimless crime.

These and many other questions weren’t addressed last week – and have remained unanswered for too long. They have been piling up for years.